Friday, July 28, 2006

A Man of Talent

Jason and I went to M. Night's Shymalan's "Lady in the Water" Sunday afternoon.

FRICKING BRILLIANT

As the credits began, the theater was completely silent. Everyone shuffled out solemnly. The movie had hit hearts and hopefully caused some profound thinking. I don't know how you could walk out of that movie not feeling hopeful that each individual has the potential to be a part of the Bigger Picture. There were so many layers to what was being said that Jason and I will have watch it again.

Some people are quite critical of the film and Shymalan's movie in general, but that's because they go in with the wrong premise (that their horror flicks, always have a twist, etc.). M.Night is a great storyteller who is trying to bring his heart and struggles to that story. What the hell is wrong or meaningless about that?

I end with part of a review by a website that I've come to respect for it's (usually) spot-on movie assessment.

"Lady in the Water isnt a great film, but it certainly is a good one, a mixed bag of myth and hope and love and a commitment to acts of faith in the face of a world that folds its arms and refuses to believe. If its true that more and more weve come to expect less and less from the movies we see and value as a community, then Shyamalan is doing his part to craft original, honest stories that reflect the skills and ideas of a truly gifted filmmaker. The biggest complaints lobbied against him arent that he makes bad movies but that the movies themselves didnt measure up to some arbitrary ideal thats been planted in the viewers mind before they even enter the theater. And to watch movies that way is to live wearing blinders. Shyamalans films are striving for greatness, even especially if its on his own terms."Daniel Carlson is the lead critic for Pajiba and a copy editor at a Hollywood industry magazine. You can visit his blog, Slowly Going BaldTheir website is www.pajiba.com